Turks Give Up All Except Adrianople.

New York Times 100 years ago today, January 2, 1913:
Are Willing to Surrender to the Allies Almost Their Entire Empire in Europe.
BUT WOULD KEEP HOLY CITY
Argue That Aegean Islands Are in Asia, but Likely to Sacrifice Even Them to Save Shrine.
By Marconi Transatlantic Wireless Telegraph to The New York Times.
    LONDON, Thursday, Jan. 2.— The Peace Conference has at last accomplished something definite. The Turks have abandoned their dilatory tactics, and yesterday made proposals which allowed the first advance in the negotiations since the conference met. Rechad Pasha, the chief Turkish delegate, submitted the following proposals:
    The cession to the Allies of the Turkish provinces in Europe to the west of the Vilayet of Adrianople.
    The autonomy of Albania, within boundaries to be determined by the great powers.
    The future of Crete to be reserved for decision by the powers that act as guarantors under the suzerainty of the Sultan.
    Turkey refuses to surrender the Aegean Islands, which are claimed as possessions of Asiatic, not European, Turkey.
    The Balkan delegates, having received these proposals in writing, retired to a private conference, which lasted for nearly an hour.
    When they returned a discussion began. Its tone was friendly and hopeful, for every one recognized that the Turks had taken a decided step in advance and ought to be encouraged to make further progress.
    The allies assented to the proposal that the question of Albania should be reserved for the decision of the powers, but the real difficulty remained — the question of Adrianople. The Bulgars are not to be moved from their position that Adrianople must be added to their territory.
    Finding himself in an impasse, Rechad Pasha suggested a compromise — that there should be a rectification of the boundaries between Turkey and Bulgaria in Thrace. The Bulgarian delegates, without any pretense of abandoning their claim to the besieged city, invited the Turks to state precisely the limits of the new boundary of Thrace. Here Rechad again confessed himself in need of instructions from Constantinople.
    Upon this issue the conference decided to adjourn until to-morrow (Friday) in order that the Turkish delegates should have time to consult their Government.

Insist on Getting Adrianople.
    The Bulgarian delegates insist on the surrender of Adrianople, and declare that unless this point is conceded they will break off the negotiations and resume the war.
    According to The Daily Telegraph's Vienna correspondent, Count von Berchtold, the Austro-Hungarian Foreign Minister, some ten days ago caused the Porte to be counseled to submit to the loss of Adrianople, and, as it is known that other representatives of the Triple Alliance as well as those of the Triple Entente gave the same advice at Constantinople, it is accepted at Vienna as a certainty that the Porte has already become familiar with the idea of Adrianople falling to Bulgaria, and that the present procrastinating manoeuvres are adopted only from fear of the Opposition Party gaining the upper hand at Constantinople.
    Attention, however, is being directed to reports of great military preparations on the part of Turkey. Large bodies of troops have arrived in the last few days at Constantinople. Five thousand came in from the Black Sea in steamers and 8,000 by the Anatolian Line. Six thousand men are encamped at Scutari, on the Bosporus, 15,000 at Ismid, and 30,000 at Konia. Ten days ago two steamers full of troops left Ismid, taking also 7,000 cases in which were many machine guns. The Naval Ministry has ordered from Germany large quantities of ammunition, also mines.